Travel Q&A: Do hotels ever let you check in early?

Q Do hotels ever let you check in early? I will be arriving in Miami at noon, and I'm wondering if I should try to check into my hotel even though the check-in time is not until 3.

A Never expect it, but always hope -- and always try it. I've had good luck with checking into hotels at 1 or 2 p.m., and even once at 11:30 a.m. (thank you, Hotel Elefant, Salzburg!), but I also have experienced many times when check-in is exactly 3 p.m. on the dot, no earlier. One time I even had a door shut in my face by a bed-and-breakfast owner who said, "Come back at 5 o'clock." Slam.

In general, if a hotel is not busy, and you apologize for coming so early, and you politely ask whether there is by any chance a room ready, often you will be happily surprised to hear that the answer is yes.

Even if the answer is no, a hotel will hold your luggage for you so you can roam freely until you get your room key.

Q Can you light candles in a hotel room? I want to make things romantic but don't want to set off the smoke detector.

A It kind of kills the mood when the fire department comes, right? Some historic or wooden hotels and inns prohibit open flames. Otherwise, hotel smoking bans do not apply to candles. Call your lodging ahead to confirm that your romantic plans are allowed.

When traveling, bring small, high-quality candles (the kind that come in small jars or tins are good), and never leave a flame unattended.

Q Can you take those soft pouches of tuna through airport security?

Advertisement

A You can bring food through security lines as long as it doesn't have a consistency of liquid or gel. Soda is out; ham sandwiches are fine. Hot fudge sauce is out, but popcorn is OK. Vacuum-packed tuna is fine -- but your fellow passengers likely would appreciate it if you ate it at the boarding gate instead of on the plane. Fishy smells and flying don't go well together.

We have to completely disagree with the statement in the Feb. 3 Travel Q&A that says United Airlines "never reassigns previously purchased, extra legroom seats." It happened to us in October on a flight from Philadelphia to San Francisco. Instead of extra-legroom seats in row 10, we were put in the very back of the plane in different rows. We couldn't even sit together. All we were told was, "I'm sorry. There's nothing we can do." We were furious! We had just gotten off of a long flight from Italy on another airline and were looking forward to that little bit of extra legroom on our flight home. And it was an absolute nightmare trying to get reimbursed for the cost of the upgraded seats.